"It's a depressing time for our farmers."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay didn't mince words when he spoke at the Yoogali Club on Wednesday in front of hundreds of growers.
The meeting came in the aftermath of several industry-shaking events: water allocations had been slashed to zero within the MIA, the Bureau of Meteorology had declared the drought to be the worst on record, and the ABC's Four Corners program had delivered another kick in the ribs to Griffith irrigators.
Uncertainty hung over the gathering, with many growers saying they had no clue whether they'd be able to plant any cotton this season.
But Mr Kay said cotton growers were a resilient bunch who had managed to ramp up their efficiency, adapt to tough times, and overcome worse than this.
"You can see from the great turn-up here today that they're still interested in learning and growing, because they know things will turn around," Mr Kay said.
READ MORE
Water policy was a hot topic at the meeting - there was a panel of speakers who came to defend the Murray Darling Basin Plan's track record.
One of them was Murray Darling Basin Authority CEO Phillip Glyde, who claimed the plan had made "good progress".
"The basin plan is working; it's delivering water for the environment, it's providing secure entitlement to water users, it's helping people through the dry times," Mr Glyde said.
He hit back at critics in "the media", "interest groups", and "the twittersphere", who he said were refusing to look at the positive side of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
"Over the last couple of years we've seen the signs of success but we don't hear about them in the media," he said. He said the plan was more or less meeting its stated aims, but that it was far from perfect.
"We're not claiming victory by any stretch of the imagination; the fish deaths in the lower darling below Menindee last year are a grim reminder we've got a long way to restore the basin to health," he said.
National Irrigators Council CEO Steve Whan said the plan was not perfect, but "no practical alternative" was being offered by critics.
"We have a threat to the basin plan because there is a segment of the community - lobby groups and media - who refuse to recognise the positives that have been achieved," Mr Whan said.
Another focus of the forum was climate change - Australian National University Climate Change Institute director Professor Mark Howden said growers would be hit hard by its effects.
"Climate change is real, it's happening, and it's happening faster over time," Professor Howden said. "In this region we're looking at significant reductions in rainfall, reductions in runoffs in our dams and rivers, and reduction in soil moisture."
***
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here